The battlefields of the Ourcq

Parking in the centre of Chambry (a few kilometres north of Meaux), around a small triangular square where the war memorial stands (a small obelisk topped with a cockerel).

No markings

(S/E) Facing the war memorial, head east-northeast on the left side of the square, along Rue d'Ortheuil. Join the D140 and turn left towards Barcy.

(1) Shortly before the Chambry exit sign, turn left onto a wide, stabilised path and walk along the cemetery on your right. The path runs almost constantly north-west: stay on this main path and ignore any secondary paths on either side. A short asphalt section and a small bridge take you over the TGV Est railway tracks. You will reach the Notre-Dame de la Marne monument.

(2) Follow the D97 road to the left towards Barcy. At the stop sign, cross the perpendicular road and enter Barcy, where you will see the church tower. At the end of the church, turn left into Ruelle du Curé, with the town hall on your left and the church on your right. You will reach Place Sainte-Geneviève.

(3) Continue in the same direction (west-southwest) on a larger road coming from the right. Cross a road at the edge of the village, walk alongside a sports field and you will reach the Fontaine Sainte-Geneviève fountain, located in a grove of poplar trees visible from afar.

(4) Turn right (north-west) onto a very small road. Cross a stream and walk slightly uphill to a crossroads where you can see the hamlet of Saint-Gobert on your right.

(5) Take the path on the left, which quickly becomes grassy. After a "no vehicles" sign, the path veers to the left and is bordered by a hedge on the left-hand side.

(6) At the intersection, turn left onto a grassy path and follow a stream on your right. Pass two road signs and turn right (south). After about 200 m, the path turns right again (south-west), widens and becomes stony. Ignore a path on the left, walk past the Croisette farm on your right and you will come to a junction with the N330 in Monthyon.

(7) Cross the road at the traffic lights and follow the D97 opposite towards Juilly/Iverny. Stay on the main road lined with houses, keep heading south-west and ignore all the side streets.

Red and white markings

(8) At the end of the residential area, turn left onto Chemin de Penchard and follow the^GR®®1. Go around a group of buildings (palisade topped with barbed wire) on the left. At the high-voltage power line, ignore a fork on the left and continue south-east.

(9) Pass under the TGV Est bridge, cross a stream and pass a metal cross. The path climbs gently to enter the Bois de Penchard (information board at the entrance).

No markings

(10) A few dozen metres after entering the woods, leave the^GR®® and continue straight ahead (south-east) along the Sentier de la Brigade Marocaine, marked by an arrow pointing to "7 Stèle Hugot-Derville" accompanied by the silhouette of a Moroccan soldier from 1914. Climb up alongside a fence on your left below. Reach a flat area and descend, continuing south-east.

Red and white markings

(11) At a fork (signs 7 and 8 on the Sentier de la Brigade Marocaine), rejoin the^GR®® and continue straight ahead, downhill. After a few metres, at the corner of the wire fence on the left, take a path that climbs to the left (be careful, the^GR®® marker is not easy to spot). The path climbs and descends slightly through the undergrowth and then reaches a more open area near some houses. Follow another fence, this time on your right, until you reach a crossroads.

(12) Go down the street on the right and pass the cemetery and church of Penchard. You will come to a crossroads near the town hall.

No markings

(13) Follow the D140 to the left towards Chambry. After about 20 metres, leave the^GR®®1on your right and stay on the main road (D140), preferably on the left-hand side. The road soon turns right, heading east-northeast. Cross the N330 on a bridge, staying outside the safety barrier. Continue on the D140 for another 250 metres or so.

(14) Take a very small road on the left that leads to Château d'Automne. This road, which has very little traffic, first takes you back the way you came and then runs alongside the N330 at a higher level (this is safe as there is a large embankment between the two).

(15) After walking about 900 metres along the small road, before it becomes lined with trees on both sides, take a grassy path on the right. When you reach Château d'Automne, at the edge of the woods, turn right (east-northeast) at a 90° angle and enter the woods. Ignore a path on the right (elevation 125) and continue northeast. Exit the woods and continue on a wide grassy path between the fields.

(16) Come out onto a small road and follow it to the right. Cross the D38 and take the path opposite, which quickly veers to the right and then climbs slightly.

(17) At the T-junction, turn left and head towards a small group of trees. The path descends and then runs alongside the trees (on the left) until it reaches a perpendicular path. Make a zigzag left-right turn and head towards the houses.

(18) At the entrance to Chambry, follow Rue des Prés on the right. Pass in front of the school and you will soon reach the starting point (S/E).

In wet weather, several paths between cultivated plots may be slippery or muddy, particularly between (5) and (6) and between (15) and (18). Choose the date of this hike carefully or bring appropriate footwear.

Crossing the N330, an extremely busy road linking Meaux and Senlis, is a serious difficulty on this route. Experience has shown that the two crossings suggested here, at point (7) and between points (13) and (14), are the only ones that offer the necessary safety. In particular, it is strongly advised not to try to reach point (15) directly from point (13) via the Allée du Bois d'Automne, which heads north from the Penchard exit. Contrary to what the IGN map might suggest, the two branches of this path do not meet under the N330: you find yourself at the top of an embankment overlooking the road, and attempting to cross it at this point would be extremely unwise!

Alternative route:
The route between (14) and is suggested in order to limit walking along a fairly busy road. Those who wish to shorten the hike can return directly from (14) by continuing on the D140 (east-northeast) for about 500 metres to the 14-18 monument, then taking the D38 on the left (north) for about 1 km (be careful when walking along these roads).

A 1:25,000 map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description). A compass adds little weight to your rucksack and can be very useful...

Hike completed by the author on 10 November 2014.

Along the way:
- Chambry Cemetery (1). Soldiers from both sides successively entrenched themselves in this cemetery. You can still see the loopholes they made in the wall. Information panel on the right just after the entrance.
- Barcy (2) Notre-Dame de la Marne monument, erected following a vow made by the Bishop of Meaux if the town was spared by the war. Stele in memory of all the combatants of the first battle of the Marne.
- Barcy (4) Sainte-Geneviève fountain, a good place to stop for a break.
- Bois de Penchard (10) Path of the Moroccan Brigades.
- Bois de Penchard, off the route, about 250m south-west of (11), grave of Captain Hugot-Derville (cross marked on the map, on the border between the woods and the field).
- Penchard Cemetery, shortly before (13) On the left just after the entrance, mass grave of 41 German soldiers killed during the 1870-1871 war.
- On the alternative route between (14) and Monument to the soldiers of the Paris Army: a stele that is not particularly aesthetically pleasing...

On the theme of the first battle of the Marne, off the trail but nearby and accessible by road:
- Between Barcy and Vareddes, on the edge of the D97: Chambry National Necropolis and German Cemetery.
- In Villeroy (west of the route), at the junction between the D129 and the D27: Charles Péguy Memorial, orientation table indicating the respective positions of the armies and the precise location where Charles Péguy was killed.
- In Chauconin-Neufmontiers, a few hundred metres from the Charles Péguy Memorial, along the D129: National Necropolis, where Charles Péguy is buried.
- In Meaux, to the north on the D405: Museum of the Great War in the Pays-de-Meaux.
N.B. The monument in memory of General Galliéni, which is mentioned on the map at a place called La Conge, on the edge of the N3, has been moved to Paris; all that remains is the base with an inscription engraved on it.

For more information on the Battle of Ourcq memorials, see the Seine-et-Marne memorials website.